Normally dapper and unruffled, he was
like a Spanish version of Sir Alex Ferguson, gum being chewed
ferociously and cheeks exhaling air at every near-miss.

Despite
Everton’s domination, he knew the points were not safe until that piece
of Mirallas magic was added to Gareth Barry’s first-half piledriver.

‘I thought it was going to be very difficult – and it proved to be,’ said Martinez.

‘I was really pleased to win and keep a clean sheet because Norwich had a proper go.

‘Some
of our play was electrifying, but I don’t really look at the league
table until the final nine games when it has real significance.’

It is a wise policy with Everton due to face Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City in their final three home games.

New
signing Aidan McGeady was presented to the Goodison Park crowd before
kick off after signing a four-and-a-half year deal from Spartak Moscow.

But the opening 20 minutes would not have thrilled him or anyone else as Everton missed the injured Ross Barkley.

‘Barkley’s
toe could be broken,’ Martinez added. ‘We will assess it to see if
there is a displacement. It is similar to what happened with Leighton
Baines [now back from a broken toe]. We fear it could be a fracture.

‘Sometimes
if the injury is well-settled, players can play straight away.
Otherwise they need a couple of weeks or even longer. Leighton’s was a
bad one, it took six weeks.’

Norwich,
in a cluster of clubs just above the relegation zone, set their stall
out, mindful of their 7-0 and 5-1 batterings at Manchester City and
Liverpool on their last trips to the North-West.

And
what chances Everton did create were wasted by Romelu Lukaku, most
notably a poor far-post header from a Mirallas cross. Then Lukaku did
his ‘Good Drogba’ impression to set up the breakthrough goal after 23
minutes.

The muscular
Belgian shielded the ball so Ryan Bennett could not get near it then
produced a deft lay-off for the on-running Gareth Barry. The midfielder
is not the quickest but he has excellent technique and with nobody from
Norwich closing him down, the 32-year-old produced a peach of a 20-yard
drive that flew past Ruddy.

It
was Barry’s 50th Premier League goal. Everton stayed in front when Tim
Howard clawed away a curler from Ricky van Wolfswinkel and John Stones
juggled a goal-bound Robert Snodgrass shot on his knee before clearing.

New signing: Aiden McGeady was unveiled to Everton fans before the match

On the ball: Everton's Steven Naismith skips away from Martin Olsson

Everton’s
anxiety disappeared in a split-second when Mirallas – one of those
under threat from McGeady’s arrival – demanded the free-kick 25 yards
from goal after a foul on Baines.

He justified it with a brilliant take that bent over the wall and then dropped in time to nestle in Ruddy’s net.

Norwich
will have heartened manager Chris Hughton by the way they refused to
cave in. In fact, they probably deserved a goal as Everton’s defence,
marshalled by returning captain Phil Jagielka, backpedalled.

Snodgrass, the pick of the Canaries, saw a header bounce off the turf and strike Howard’s post with the keeper beaten.